


Rose's Dragon

by AlyKat



Series: Falling [5]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-31 23:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6492943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyKat/pseuds/AlyKat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Never did John ever imagine in his wildest dreams that he would have to defend the fact that dragons never existed. He was beginning to regret ever showing Rose "Dragonheart".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rose's Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> I knew I couldn't stay away from John and Rose for long. :) Here is a fifth little story to go along with the others in my "Falling" series. Expect more little stories to come. We haven't seen the last of them.
> 
> Originally posted to Tumblr and part of the timepetalsprompts weekly fic prompt. This weeks: Dinosaurs, Dragons and/or other prehistoric or mythical creatures.

John rolled his eyes as he switched his mobile from one ear to the other, hiking his messenger bag up on his shoulder a bit higher. Walking from his room to his classes was so much easier, and enjoyable, now that the snow had melted and spring was nudging the last dredges of winter away. 

“We’ve gone over this before,” he groused, quietly cursing under his breath as the books tucked under his other arm began to slip. “Dragons were never real. They’re a myth!” 

On the other end of the call, Rose huffed. “How do you know? Were you alive in medieval times? Do you have solid proof that they weren’t real?”

“I might be an old soul, but no,” answered John as he dodged around a couple who thought the middle of the walkway was the perfect place to stop for a snog fest, “I was not alive during the Dark Ages. And last I checked, you weren’t either. So you’ve no way to prove they were real.” 

Silence fell across the line, only the quiet sounds of Rose’s muttering coming through. It was enough to bring a fond smile to John’s face. Though seven hours by car was hardly a terrible distance to separate them, John had come to look forward to Rose’s daily phone calls. Long distance relationships were never easy, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, five months had gone by in the blink of an eye. 

“You can stop trying to bring information up on Google,” John teased. He stopped just outside the science building, staying off to the side so students could pass him going in or out. 

“ ‘M not!”

John’s smile brightened at Rose’s protest. Nodding, he rearranged his books and messenger bag one last time. “Right. ‘Course you’re not. You must be on messenger with your other boyfriend, then.” 

There was a pause before, “Matter of fact, I am. He wants to make sure you’re not comin’ back to London this weekend so we can run off together.”

He could almost hear Rose’s tongue-tipped-smile. If he closed his eyes, he could picture her teasing grin, head tilted just so, and whiskey eyes sparkling at him playfully. Oh but he was so gone for that girl. 

Checking his watch carefully, John sighed in faux dejection. “Weeeellll,” he drawled, “I suppose it was only a matter of time before I lost you to some other bloke. We had a good run, though.”

On the other end, Rose laughed. “Yep. Great run.” 

A fond smile crept across John’s face as he leaned his shoulder against the rough, stone wall, trying hard to prolong the inevitable. He didn’t want to go to class, especially since Professor Yana wasn’t going to be there. Again. At least he could take comfort in knowing that by the same time Saturday, he’d be lounging about in Rose’s flat with her. 

It was that thought that finally had him moving again. “I should get going. Class and all.”

“Alright. I need to get to class, too. I’ll see you Saturday, yeah?”

“Of course. I’ll be there bright and early.”

Rose giggled lightly. “I’ll make sure I’ve got milk this time.”

Stepping through the heavy glass doors, John side-stepped a fellow grad student and made his way for the stairwell. If he hurried, he should still be able to make it to class on time. 

“That’s very kind of you. Thank you. Alright, I gotta go. I’ll see you Saturday,” he said. Rose’s reply was quick and sweet, as it usually was, and John bounced into the classroom with a bright smile on his face and two minutes to spare. 

He’d just set his bag on the desk when his phone chimed in his hand. Glancing down, he quickly thumbed across the screen. Rose’s name and picture greeted him, along with a short text. 

_**Text from Rose Tyler [10:19am]: Dragons were to real! xo** _

* * *

Rose sat nestled in against John’s side, her arm wrapped loosely around his stomach and eyes glued to the movie they were watching. Rain and storms had moved in just before dawn and ruined their plans for the day. Still, John supposed there were worse ways to spend a Saturday than being all snuggled up on a couch, safe and warm and dry, watching silly -- but endearing -- kid movies with his Rose. 

Of course, if he’d had his choice, they would have been watching a different movie. Any other movie. Instead, Rose had insisted on _How to Train Your Dragon_. The first and the sequel. 

His cheek resting on Rose’s head, John trailed his hand up and down her shoulder absently. It had been his own fault he got Rose on this minor obsession with dragons, and he took full responsibility for his actions, no one should go through life without having seen _Dragonheart_. It was that which sparked the question in Rose’s head, “Had dragons ever really, been real?” 

When she’d asked originally, it had been a simple curiosity. Nothing more than an idle wondering and wistful imagining that maybe they had been. Now though, after John had insisted there was no scientific way for dragons to have existed, Rose seemed hellbent on proving him wrong. Or at least, playfully poking at him with a new dragon movie, or supposed fact she’d found. Usually just when he’d start to think the whole bloody nonsense had been forgotten. 

“Vikings used dragons for transportation, see?” Rose mumbled into his chest, just as Hiccup and Toothless took to the sky. 

John sighed. 

“Dragons aren’t real, Rose. Never were.”

He could feel her smile against him and tightened his arm around her just a little bit more. 

“They were real. Other wise, why would there be so many films about them? More films about dragons than there are about stupid old dinosaurs.”

Rolling his eyes, John wrapped his other arm around Rose’s shoulders, playfully squishing her against him as he dropped them sideways onto the couch. “Because a children’s CGI film is completely steeped in historical accuracy, of course.” 

“Obviously.”

Growling in mock frustration, John shifted to wedge Rose between himself and the back of the couch, hoping that a good snogging would keep her distracted for the rest of the film.

* * *

_**Text from Rose Tyler [9:56am]: Pete’s Dragon, The Pagemaster, all three Dragonhearts, Merlin, Eragon, Reign of Fire, The Hobbit, Puff the Magic Dragon** _

_Text from John Noble [10:00am]: Children’s film, children’s film, only the first one was any good, fairy-tale, modern fairy-tale, terrible, fantasy, and don’t ever mention Puff to me again._

_**Text from Rose Tyler [10:59am]: Why?? What have you got against Puff??** _

_Text from John Noble [11:10am]: A lot. Too much._

_**Text from Rose Tyler [11:11am]: O.K. then. Tell me about it some time?** _

_Text from John Noble [11:31am]: Some time. Gotta go._

_**Text from Rose Tyler [11:34am]: O.K. ttys. xoxo** _

* * *

She never told him what the surprise was that she was bringing up to him, and John honestly found himself becoming more and more anxious about it as the days dragged on. It had been weeks since the last time any mentions of dragons had come up, so he hoped he could take comfort in the fact that it probably, hopefully, had nothing to do with the fire breathing, mythical creatures. Knowing his luck though, and knowing Rose...

When the train pulled into the station, John bounced on his toes and bobbed side to side in an attempt to look around for her. Between work, studies, and family obligations, it had been close to a month since the last time John had gotten to hold Rose in his arms. Now their free weekends finally matched up, and all he wanted to do was drag her back to his room and keep her all to himself for the next two days. 

Fingers tapping impatiently against his thighs, John strained to catch a glimpse of his little pink and yellow girlfriend once more. He was just about to hop up onto a bench when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Rose was standing behind him, hands behind her back, and that teasing little tongue-tipped smile shining brightly at him. 

“Hello,” she quipped, still smiling. 

John grinned back just as bright as he took a step closer to her. “Hello! How’d you sneak past me?”

Rose shrugged. “I was in the first car.”

“Sneaky,” John took another step closer only to have Rose take half a step back. It was obvious she was hiding something behind her, and given the glint in those eyes and the way she seemed to be fighting to keep from breaking out into a full face splitting grin, whatever it was had her tickled. John tilted his head curiously. “What have you got?”

“It’s a surprise,” she answered with a shrug. “Close your eyes.” 

John’s left eyebrow quirked, but he made no attempt to close his eyes. 

“Go on,” pouted Rose. 

Sighing heavily and rolling his eyes, John did as he was told and waited. A moment later, something soft and warm was tugged down over his hair and flopped against his ears. Worse, he felt something just as soft fall down to rest just between his shoulder blades. 

Rose lost her fight against her giggles. 

“Oh no...” John felt his stomach drop out. He had the sinking feeling he knew exactly what had just been put on his head. “No, Rose, you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?”

John opened his eyes and tried to look up at what was on his head. He nearly went cross-eyed trying. Reaching up, he pulled the plush cap down and groaned. Staring back at him was an adorable, cartoon style face of a green dragon. Iridescent purple wings flopped down the sides (what he felt covering his ears), and a long tail trailed down the back. 

Rose stood in front of him, still giggling and clutching her phone to her chest like it was a priceless treasure. She swayed side to side as she watched him examine the hat, that damn tongue poking out from between her teeth again, teasingly. 

“Tell me,” John begged, finally looking up to meet her twinkling eyes, “tell me you did not take a picture -- you did...” 

His face stared back at him from Rose’s mobile screen. Eyes closed and that silly dragon head sitting right atop his own. Oh the humanity! 

“Rose, delete that picture.”

“Huh-uh.” She shook her head quickly and took another step back. 

“Rose,” John started again, voice low as he stepped closer. “Rose Tyler, delete that picture right now.” 

Blond hair swished back and forth as Rose shook her head again. “Nope!”

John leaped towards Rose, drawing a startled squeak out of her before she turned, rucksack on her back, and took off running down the platform. John, the silly dragon hat still in hand, rushing off after her.


End file.
